1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method utilizing Internet Protocol (IP) sequencing to identify components of a passenger flight information system (PFIS). More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method which assigns an IP address to each line replaceable unit (LRU), such as a seat electronics box (SEB) or other seat components of a PFIS, so that the components can be readily identified by the PFIS when communication is to occur between the components and, for example, a head end unit of the PFIS.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many commercial vehicles today, in particular, aircraft, include in-flight entertainment systems (IFES) or passenger flight information systems (PFIS) with which the passengers can interact via control device, such as control buttons on the armrests of the seats or other plug-in devices. More sophisticated PFIS are being developed and employed on aircraft to further enhance the passengers' flight experience.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical PFIS system 100 includes a plurality of computers or other types of processing devices, which are connected to provide various functions. These computers are arranged, for example, audio/video head-end equipment 102, area distribution boxes 104, and seat electronic boxes (SEB) 106. The head-end equipment 102 can include, for example, an audio-video controller (AVC) 108 and a cabin management terminal (CMT) 110. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the AVC 108 provides audio and video, such as music, movies and other entertainment, to the headphones and video display units associated with the passenger seats. The CMT 110 can be used by, for example, a flight attendant or maintenance personnel, to control the PFIS 100 to provide the various functions, such as making an announcement, showing a movie, configuring the system and so on.
In the modular environment of an aircraft, each of the SEBs 106, in particular, are generally referred to as a line replaceable unit (LRU) since these units are deployed in the system but can be individually removed or replaced generally without impacting the overall system performance. As indicated, the SEBs 106 are connected directly to passenger seats or seat groups (not shown) that are identified by their respective row and seat numbers, and provide the interfaces between passengers on an aircraft and the other components of the PFIS 100, such as the head-end equipment 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the SEB identified as SEB 106-1 is connected to the seats 3A and 3C, while SEB 106-2 is connected to seats 2A and 2C, and SEB 106-3 is connected to seats 1A and 1C, and so on. The SEBs 106 thus enable the passengers to have access to a plurality of functions and features provided by the PFIS 100, such as the access to audio and/or visual information, seat control functions, flight attendant access and, in more advanced systems, telephony and computer operations, Internet access and so on. For example, an SEB 106-1 associated with seat group 3A and 3C can receive channel and volume control signals entered by a passenger sitting in either seat 3A or 3C via control equipment, such as buttons on the armrest of the seat or via a tethered controller, and provide the necessary controls to the audiovisual equipment associated with the passenger seat to provide the desired channel level and volume of the audio to the passenger.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, in order for the equipment of the PFIS 100 to be able to properly respond to requests made by a passenger, the PFIS must have some technique for identifying the location of the passenger making the request. Since each SEB 106 is associated with one or more seats or seat groups, this location typically can be determined by identifying the SEB 106 via which the passenger request was made. Once the response is provided to the appropriate SEB 106, the computing equipment in the SEB 106 can determine from which seat the request was made, for example, by identifying the port in the SEB 106 via which the request was received. The SEB 106 can thus deliver the appropriate response, such as an audio or audio/visual signal, to the audio/video equipment that is connected to the SEB 106 and associated with that particular passenger seat.
In these types of systems, the SEBs 106 and the other equipment of the PFIS 100, such as the head-end equipment 102 and ADBs 104, must be capable of readily communicating with each other. More importantly, the SEBs 106 must be able to provide requests to the head-end equipment 102, and the head-end equipment 102 must be capable of recognizing from which SEBs 106 the requests were received, so that the head-end equipment can provide the appropriate responses to the appropriate SEBs 106.
Accordingly, a need exists for a PFIS 100 having SEBs 106 and other LRUs that can communicate and operate reliably in the system.